Top 10 Most Disturbing SNL Sketches Because of What We Know Now

When this episode aired, Donald Trump’s presidential campaign was hardly taken seriously by the general public. At that time, Trump seemed like nothing more than a novelty candidate, propelling his candidacy forward because of his pre-existing cultural clout, celebrity status, and reported wealth. His 2015 hosting appearance seemed like little more than an extension of this newfound source of attention. Look to the few sketches that Trump does appear in, like his monologue, or the confounding sketch that depicts the former real estate magnate having won the 2016 election… which, as we’re all well aware of, would become the case on November 8th of that year.

On the surface, this pitch-dark sketch feels on-brand for disgraced comedian/frequent “SNL” host Louis C.K., who made an elevated form of blue-collar humor a hallmark of his stand-up act. However, when you take into account the comedian’s multiple accusations of misconduct, “Soda Shop” gets uncomfortable really quickly. The sketch, which makes light of ultra-puritanical 1950s American culture, features C.K. as the man behind the counter of said soda shop, who clearly has a thing for high school girls. While the object of the joke is perfectly clear, you may wince once C.K.’s pleading with Cecily Strong’s character begins to echo claims of abuse made against the comedian in 2017.

Remember the Trump stuff from earlier? Yeah, it gets even harder to watch. Playing Martha Raddatz, Cecily Strong inquires if she can just call Hillary Clinton the president at this point. While crowds ate it up at the time, we can all look back now and cringe at how sure the mainstream media was that the former Secretary of State, Senator, and First Lady had the 2016 U.S. presidential election in the bag. “SNL” was quick to join in on counting Trump out, and this sketch serves as a harrowing reminder of how sorely seemingly everyone had misjudged the future president’s appeal to voters.

There was a time when two-time Oscar winner Spacey could do no wrong. Widely admired for his work on stage and screen, all of that came crashing down when the thespian was accused of several counts of misconduct and assault in late 2017. The bone-chilling nature of the allegations — which included a number of underage accusers — cast a deeply off-putting shadow over Spacey’s opening monologue from his January 11, 1997 hosting appearance. The actor sang a cover of Frank Sinatra’s “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning,” and all the while, subtitles (jokingly) charged him with violent, bizarre behavior… that would unfortunately prove all too accurate 20 years later.

Beloved performer Murphy, depending on who you ask, was either fired or removed herself from the set of the film “The Caller” in November 2009 — she personally chalked it up to “creative differences.” The incident was soon parodied on “SNL,” with Abby Elliott playing a ditzy, confused, somewhat mean-spirited version of Murphy on “Weekend Update.” Elliott’s Murphy appeared out of the loop and under the impression that she was that episode’s host. Tragically and eerily, the real Murphy would die of pneumonia just a few weeks later, on December 20th, 2009. The segment is no longer shown as part of reruns of the episode, which was hosted by Blake Lively and featured Rihanna as a musical guest.

In the early weeks of January 2018, Oscar-nominated actor James Franco was riding a career high off of the strength of his docudrama “The Disaster Artist.” That is, until allegations of misconduct against the filmmaker bubbled up, with the Los Angeles Times reporting on January 11th that five women had accused Franco of inappropriate behavior… while working as a teacher or instructor. Keeping that in mind, this “SNL” sketch from less than a month becomes deeply disturbing to watch. In a deeply unfortunate case of art imitating life, Franco plays a corporate CFO who’s fired for making advances on his female employees. Oof.

After the terrible tragedy of 9/11 occurred, NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani appeared on “SNL” to cautiously help the show usher in a new era. However, this wouldn’t have been the first time “Saturday Night Live” mentioned the individual elements that made up the tragic events of September 11, 2001. On a March 18, 2000 episode hosted by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, a quickly-forgotten series of remarks made by Weekend Update host Colin Quinn now take on an unfortunate second layer. In quick succession, Quinn addresses recent news featuring George W. Bush and oil prices, Osama bin Laden, and a thwarted airplane hijacking.

An early-period sketch that’s as heartbreaking as it is hilarious, this season 3 segment finds cast member John Belushi playing himself. The tragic aspect? Belushi plays an elderly version of himself who visits the graves of his “SNL” cast members, proclaiming that he’s the last surviving original cast member. As “SNL” and comedy fans in general sadly know all too well, Belushi was the first cast member to die. Making the sketch even more difficult to watch is the fact that Belushi pokes fun at his own hard-partying lifestyle, which would ultimately be his undoing: Belushi died in March 1982, aged only 33, of a drug overdose.

“SNL” veteran and overall comedy legend Farley tragically met a similar fate to John Belushi, whom the former had often cited as one of his showbiz idols. The energetic performer even died at the same age as and in a similar fashion to Belushi, aged 33 at the time of his death on December 18, 1997. Knowing that fact makes watching Farley’s only hosting appearance even more painful. Commentators in the years since the beloved “SNL” cast member’s passing have noted that Farley looks unwell throughout the episode, his voice hoarse and typically athletic comedy at a low. This episode marked Farley’s final television appearance before his death.

Long before a 2024 wave of support that saw the Los Angeles District Attorney recommend resentencing them, public opinion of the Menendez brothers was dire. The two were mostly viewed as deeply unsympathetic rich brats who had brutally taken their parents’ lives as a means of claiming their substantial inheritance. While, in recent years, Lyle and Erik’s claims of abuse have been taken more seriously, the early ‘90s cultural climate couldn’t have taken them less seriously. Take, for example, this cringeworthy sketch starring host John Malkovich as Erik and Rob Schneider as Lyle, ostensibly mocking the brothers’ lack of tangible proof. Decades later, this sketch has been considerably reevaluated for its insensitive portrayal of victims of abuse.

Are there any “SNL” sketches that are hard for you to watch nowadays? Let us know in the comments!